100 Humanitarians International

Kenya - Narok County - Maasai Mara

There are three big challenges that families face on the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

1. No access to clean water.
2. Not enough nutritious food to feed their children. Often children will only drink 1 or 2 cups of milk a day.
3. Not enough income to pay for school fees.

We spoke with one young mother, who told us that she walks to gather water for their basic needs three times each day. She has a toddler and an infant, and has to walk 3 kilometers away. In order for her children to stay safe, she has to find a neighbor to watch her children, because she is constantly at risk of being killed by elephants or cape buffalo.

We visited the spring that she uses, and saw where there were fresh elephant tracks in the mud. We gave her a 1000 liter water tank to use, because she can capture rainwater from her iron sheet roof.

In 2019, we partnered with The USANA Foundation to bring garden towers to families in our three communities in Kenya. Fresh vegetables are a challenge for people in rural areas where nothing much grows. The ground is hard, and without easy access to water, vegetables don't grow easily.

After building garden towers with 200 families, we were able to track the number of meals that they were providing. Each family member was able to eat at least 3-5 meals per week, with some reporting that they eat vegetables twice a day. For some families, it is the only meal that they have.

Each garden tower takes about 30 liters of water per week, reducing the amount of water needed to grow food. They are able to share with their neighbors, or sell excess vegetables. Their only other option is to buy vegetables in the market once a week that is brought in by trucks from hours away. To say that this project has made a difference is an understatement, and we are so grateful for the incredible support that The USANA Foundation has given us to make this happen.

Because families are able to save money by growing their own vegetables, they are able to use some of the extra funds to pay for their children's school fees. It's not perfect, and it doesn't cover everything, but we are working on helping families develop additional businesses through micro-funding to help them out of extreme poverty.

What we do know, is that when you sponsor a family, it creates a ripple effect that will be experienced for generations to come.

Will you help sponsor a family? Any amount is welcomed, and 100% of your donation goes to these projects. Just click Sponsor a Family and we'll do the rest!

P.S. If you want to join us on an expedition, you can do that here!

Sponsor a Family